In home-based security systems, cellular radios can be used to send and receive alarm messages to and from a central receiving station. Radio frequency (RF) waves used in cellular communications propagate in the line of sight. As such, communication between the cellular radio and a cellular tower degrades as the distance between the tower and the radio increases. Mounting the antenna as high as possible within the building reduces the effect of the line of site problem and improves the reliability of communications between the building and the cell tower.
Conventional security systems typically mount the antennas to walls or ceilings. Mounting the antenna as high as possible eliminates the effects of common obstructions such as furniture, appliances and neighboring structures. Unfortunately, wall mounted antennas for indoor wireless security systems are often bulky and unsightly and will not provide adequate RF performance because they are situated in a low position within the building.
One attempted solution to the aforementioned problem is to hide the antenna in the floor, walls, and/or ceiling and mount the antenna as high as possible within the building. This allows for an effective security system having improved RF performance without the drawback of a bulky and unsightly antenna device. A problem that arises with this attempted solution is the prohibitive construction costs associated with installing the antenna within existing structures. It is often difficult to mount the antenna as high as possible within a wall cavity without drilling or cutting any additional or larger holes than would ordinarily be required to install the central control panel on an exterior surface of the wall.
Therefore, what is needed in the art is a device and method for quickly mounting an antenna in an elevated position within a wall cavity without having to cut any larger or additional holes in the finished wall.